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New insights into facial bone modeling patterns of Australopithecus sediba

Nouvelles perspectives sur les patrons de modelage osseux de la face chez Australopithecus sediba
Alexandra Schuh, Sarah E. Freidline et Philipp Gunz

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1Fossil remains of two individuals of Australopithecus sediba, dated to around 1.98 my ago, have been discovered in Malapa Cave, South Africa. The partial skeletons include a partial cranium of a subadult (MH1) and an adult (MH2), of which only mandibular fragments have been found. The first descriptions of MH1 have emphasized facial features that appear derived compared to other Australopithecus species, such as a less protruding lower face and smaller teeth, which have been proposed to foreshadow Homo-like morphology. However, this interpretation has been challenged, primarily because MH1 is a juvenile specimen. While an earlier study using developmental simulations suggested that MH1 would have continued growing – implying potential morphological changes – a subsequent study reached the opposite conclusion. An early examination of MH1’s maxillary bone modeling pattern showed differences from previously published Australopithecus data, hinting at a unique developmental trajectory in A. sediba that aligns with the proposed derived facial morphology. In this study, we present a reanalysis of MH1’s maxillary bone modeling pattern and conduct the first-ever analysis of the mandibular bone modeling patterns for both MH1 and MH2. Our comparative sample includes modern humans and chimpanzees of similar dental age (second upper molar erupted/adults). MH1’s bone surface is exceptionally well-preserved, and its high level of activity indicates ongoing growth, supporting the hypothesis that its development was not yet complete. Contrary to previous findings, the bone modeling patterns in both specimens are more similar to those of non-human great apes. However, MH1 exhibits high percentages of bone resorption – among the highest recorded for non-human great apes of comparable age – which may contribute to its less projected face. Overall, these first results suggest that A. sediba retains a primitive pattern of bone modeling in the face.

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Alexandra Schuh, Sarah E. Freidline et Philipp Gunz, « New insights into facial bone modeling patterns of Australopithecus sediba »Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 37(S) | 2025, mis en ligne le 16 janvier 2025, consulté le 13 février 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/15387 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/133pj

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Auteurs

Alexandra Schuh

Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany ; alexandra_schuh[at]eva.mpg.de

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Sarah E. Freidline

Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA

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Philipp Gunz

Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany

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CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.

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